White Cloud Mountains
White Cloud Mountains
Highest point
Peak	Castle Peak
Elevation	11,815 ft (3,601 m)
Coordinates	44°02′22″N 114°35′07″W / 44.039558°N 114.585266°W / 44.039558; -114.585266
Dimensions
Length	25 mi (40 km) N/S
Width	32 mi (51 km) E/W
Area	461 sq mi (1,190 km2)
Geography
White Cloud Mountains
Country	United States
State	Idaho
Parent range	Rocky Mountains
Borders on	Sawtooth Mountains and Boulder Mountains

The White Cloud Mountains are part of the Rocky Mountains of the western United States, located in central Idaho, southeast of Stanley in Custer County. The range is located within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) and partially within the Cecil D. Andrus–White Clouds Wilderness.^[1]

The White Cloud Mountains are located on National Forest land, with numerous trails in the area. Camping is permitted anywhere on the national forest land and there are no fees to access the area.^[2] Primary access to the area is via State Highway 75, the Salmon River Scenic Byway, which accompanies the main Salmon River as it descends along the range's western and northern perimeter.

The highest peak in the White Cloud Mountains, and the SNRA, is Castle Peak at 11,815 ft (3,601 m).^[3] The Sawtooth Mountains are about twenty miles (32 km) west of the White Clouds, on the west side of the river and highway, and the Boulder Mountains are directly south of the White Clouds.

Peaks

Lakes

See List of lakes of the White Cloud Mountains

Mine proposal

In 1970, it was proposed that the White Cloud Mountains be the site of an open-pit mine. The proposal became a major issue in Idaho's 1970 gubernatorial election. Incumbent Republican governor Don Samuelson favored the mine, as it would generate an estimated $4 million in revenue to the state. However, his Democratic opponent, Cecil Andrus, opposed the mine on conservation grounds. His stance was backed by many of the state's urban residents, who enjoyed vacationing at the mountains.^[6] Andrus won the election by more than four points, and it has been suggested that Andrus's stance on the mine was a contributing factor to his victory, and in particular to his victories in the normally Republican-leaning urban parts of the state.^[6][7]

Photos

• 
  White Cloud Mountains viewed from Sawtooth Mountains
• 
  Washington Lake in the White Cloud Mountains
• 
  Castle Peak to left of center
• 
  Fourth of July Lake in the White Cloud Mountains
• 
  Castle Peak
• 
  White Cloud Mountains
• 
  Warm Spring Creek in White Cloud Mountains
• 
  Warm Springs Meadow in White Cloud Mountains
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  White Cloud Mountains
• 
  White Cloud Mountains across Sawtooth Valley
• 
  Hikers leaving Quiet Lake, which sits at the base of Castle Peak and Merriam Peak.
• 
  Hikers eating lunch at Shallow Lake with the Devil's Staircase on the horizon.